Amid the seemingly endless arguments surrounding the Affordable Care Act, it’s sometimes forgotten that there’s another heath-care debate out there: that of conventional medical care versus alternative treatments.
The organizers of an upcoming event at Northampton’s Academy of Music hope to address the latter issue. The Homeopathy Film Festival, on Sunday, Jan. 13, will offer two documentaries on the subject, post-film discussions with the film directors, and complimentary samples from local and national health-related vendors.
“Just One Drop” by Laurel Chiten, a University of Massachusetts Amherst communication studies graduate, explores the history of homeopathy and the criticism the field has received from some who dismiss it as offering placebos or outright deception. But the movie also looks at “the rich history” of homeopathy and “dispels myths and misconceptions, and asks whether or not homeopathy has been given a fair shake,” according to press release about the film festival.
And “Magic Pills” by Ananda More looks both at homeopathy and the “deliberate campaign by the medical and pharmaceutical communities to let far more expensive and more deleterious chemical-based treatments prevail,” the release continues.
The film festival, which runs from 1 to 6 p.m. on Jan. 13, was organized by Northampton homeopaths Abby Beale and Heather Welch-Smith. Tickets are $33 and are available at aomtheatre.com. Group pricing is available for 10 or more.
For more information about the festival, including how to sponsor or volunteer for the event, visit HomeopathyFilmFestival.com.